The Necklace
The Necklace Solution, Summary & Word Meaning
The Necklace Summary
“The Necklace” tells the story of Madame Matilda Loisel, a beautiful but dissatisfied young woman born into a family of clerks. Despite marrying a minor civil servant, she constantly dreams of a more luxurious life. Her husband, content with simple pleasures, tries his best to make her happy.
One day, her husband brings home an invitation to an elegant party at the Minister’s residence. Instead of being delighted, Matilda is distressed about not having a suitable dress or jewelry. Her husband sacrifices his savings for a gun to buy her a new dress, and she borrows a diamond necklace from her wealthy friend, Madame Forestier.
At the party, Matilda is a great success, dancing and enjoying herself immensely. However, upon returning home, she discovers the borrowed necklace is missing. Panic-stricken, the couple searches everywhere but cannot find it. They decide to replace the necklace without telling Madame Forestier.
They find a similar necklace for 36,000 francs, a huge sum at the time. Loisel uses his inheritance and borrows the rest, plunging the couple into debt. Matilda returns the replacement to her friend, who doesn’t notice the substitution.
For the next ten years, the Loisels live a life of abject poverty to repay their debts. They dismiss their maid, move to a smaller apartment, and take on extra work. Matilda loses her beauty, doing hard household chores and haggling over every sou. Her husband works late into the nights doing extra copying jobs.
After fully repaying the debt, Matilda, now looking old and coarse, encounters Madame Forestier, who is still young and beautiful. Matilda decides to tell her the truth about the necklace. To her shock, Madame Forestier reveals that her original necklace was made of fake diamonds and worth no more than 500 francs.
The story is a cautionary tale about the dangers of pride, deception, and the desire for status. Matilda’s discontent with her social position and her decision to pretend to own the necklace lead to a decade of unnecessary hardship. The ironic twist at the end emphasizes how her lack of honesty and her obsession with appearances ultimately caused her downfall.
The narrative also touches on themes of class, sacrifice, and the nature of true value. It illustrates how perceived social obligations can lead to disastrous consequences and how the pursuit of material wealth and status can come at a great personal cost. Ultimately, “The Necklace” serves as a reflection on the importance of honesty, contentment, and the true meaning of wealth and happiness.
Character Sketches: The Necklace
1. Madame Matilda Loisel:
Matilda is the protagonist of the story. She’s a beautiful young woman born into a family of clerks, but she feels this is an “error of destiny.” She’s constantly dissatisfied with her middle-class life, dreaming of luxury and high society. Matilda is vain, materialistic, and envious of the wealthy. Her discontent and desire for status drive the story’s plot. However, she also shows determination and strength in facing the consequences of her actions, working tirelessly for a decade to repay the debt.
2. Monsieur Loisel:
Matilda’s husband is a kind, simple man who works as a clerk in the Ministry of Education. He’s content with his life and tries his best to make Matilda happy. He’s willing to make sacrifices for her, such as giving up his savings for a gun to buy her a new dress. Monsieur Loisel is practical and hardworking, taking on extra jobs to help repay their debt. His character serves as a contrast to Matilda’s, highlighting her discontent.
3. Madame Forestier:
A wealthy friend of Matilda from their convent days. She represents the life of luxury that Matilda desires. Madame Forestier is generous, lending Matilda the necklace without hesitation. She appears at the beginning and end of the story, serving as a symbol of the life Matilda aspires to. Her revelation about the necklace’s true value at the end provides the story’s ironic twist.
Difficult Words and Their Meanings
1. Incessantly: continuously, without interruption
2. Tureen: a deep covered dish from which soup is served
3. Vexation: the state of being annoyed, frustrated, or worried
4. Frocks: dresses
5. Elated: very happy and excited
6. Spitefully: in a manner intended to hurt or annoy
7. Stupefied: shocked or astonished
8. Chic: stylish and fashionable
9. Ecstatic: feeling or expressing overwhelming happiness or joyful excitement
10. Intoxicated: excited or exhilarated
11. Detained: kept from proceeding; delayed
12. Dismay: concern and distress caused by something unexpected
13. Bewilderment: a feeling of being perplexed and confused
14. Ruinous: disastrous or destructive
15. Usurers: people who lend money at unreasonably high rates of interest
16. Frigid: very cold in manner; unfriendly
17. Odious: extremely unpleasant; repulsive
18. Haggling: arguing about the price of something
19. Sou: a former French coin of low value
20. Awry: away from the usual or expected position
21. Crude: rough and lacking sophistication
22. Familiarly: in a way that shows friendship or closeness
23. Personage: a person of importance or distinction
24. Dowry: money or property brought by a bride to her husband at marriage
25. Delicacies: choice or expensive foods
26. Convent: a Christian community under monastic vows, especially one of nuns
27. Murmuring: speaking in a low, indistinct voice
28. Colleagues: associates or coworkers
29. Economical: careful with money or resources
30. Larks: small ground-dwelling songbirds
31. Adorn: make more beautiful or attractive
32. Shabby: in poor condition through long use or lack of care
33. Embraced: held closely in one’s arms
34. Wraps: shawls or coats
35. Chaplet: a string of beads used in prayer
36. Attic: a space or room inside or just below the roof of a building
37. Fruiterer’s: a shop selling fruit (archaic term)
38. Astonished: greatly surprised or impressed
39. Stammered: spoke with sudden pauses and repetition
40. Perplexed: completely baffled or puzzled
41. Heroically: in a brave or grand manner
42. Substitution: the action of replacing someone or something with another
43. Refuse: waste or garbage
Solution to The Necklace
READ AND FIND OUT
Q1: What kind of a person is Mme Loisel — why is she always unhappy?
A1: Mme Loisel is a pretty young woman born into a family of clerks. She is always unhappy because she feels she was born for a life of luxury and elegance. She suffers from the poverty of her surroundings and constantly dreams of a more affluent lifestyle. Her discontent stems from her belief that she deserves better than her current middle-class life.
Q2: What kind of a person is her husband?
A2: Her husband is a kind, simple, and content man. He is a clerk in the Ministry of Education who finds joy in simple pleasures like a good potpie. He is considerate of his wife’s feelings and tries to make her happy, even sacrificing his own savings to buy her a new dress for the party.
Q3: What fresh problem now disturbs Mme Loisel?
A3: After getting a new dress for the party, Mme Loisel realizes she has no jewels to wear with it. She feels that without proper jewelry, she will look poverty-stricken among the rich women at the party.
Q4: How is the problem solved?
A4: The problem is solved when her husband suggests that she borrow some jewelry from her wealthy friend, Mme Forestier. Mme Loisel visits her friend and borrows a beautiful diamond necklace.
Q5: What do M. and Mme Loisel do next?
A5: After realizing the borrowed necklace is lost, M. and Mme Loisel search frantically for it. M. Loisel retraces their steps from the party, checks with the police and cab offices, and places an advertisement in the newspapers. When they can’t find it, they decide to replace the necklace without telling Mme Forestier about the loss.
Q6: How do they replace the necklace?
A6: They find a similar diamond necklace in a shop at the Palais-Royal, priced at 36,000 francs. To pay for it, M. Loisel uses his inheritance of 18,000 francs and borrows the rest from various lenders, including usurers. They buy the replacement necklace and return it to Mme Forestier, who doesn’t notice the substitution.
Think about it
1. Q: The course of the Loisels’ life changed due to the necklace. Comment.
A: The necklace drastically altered the Loisels’ lives. What began as a moment of triumph for Matilda at the party turned into a decade of hardship. The loss of the borrowed necklace and their decision to secretly replace it plunged them into severe debt. They had to give up their comfortable lifestyle, move to a smaller apartment, dismiss their maid, and take on extra work. Matilda lost her beauty doing hard labor, and both she and her husband sacrificed ten years of their lives to repay the debt. The necklace transformed them from a content middle-class couple to impoverished workers, fundamentally changing their social status and quality of life.
2. Q: What was the cause of Matilda’s ruin? How could she have avoided it?
A: The primary cause of Matilda’s ruin was her pride and her desire to appear wealthy and elegant. She could have avoided this ruin in several ways:
– By being content with her current social status and not trying to appear wealthier than she was.
– By declining the invitation to the party if she felt she couldn’t attend without expensive clothes and jewelry.
– Most importantly, by being honest with Mme Forestier about losing the necklace. Had she confessed, she would have learned that the necklace was fake and worth only 500 francs, avoiding the need for a costly replacement.
3. Q: What would have happened to Matilda if she had confessed to her friend that she had lost her necklace?
A: If Matilda had confessed to Mme Forestier about losing the necklace, she would have discovered that it was made of fake diamonds and worth only 500 francs. This revelation would have saved the Loisels from their decade of poverty and hard work. Mme Forestier, being a friend, might have been understanding about the loss. At worst, Matilda might have had to repay the 500 francs, which would have been far less devastating than the 36,000 francs they actually paid.
4. Q: If you were caught in a situation like this, how would you have dealt with it?
A: In a situation like this, the best course of action would be:
– Immediately inform the friend about the loss of the necklace.
– Offer to replace it or compensate for its value.
– Be honest about the circumstances of the loss.
– If necessary, request time to arrange for a replacement or payment.
– Learn from the experience about the importance of responsibility and the potential consequences of borrowing valuable items.
Talk about it
1. Q: The characters in this story speak in English. Do you think this is their language? What clues are there in the story about the language its characters must be speaking in?
A: No, the characters are not likely speaking English. There are several clues that suggest they are speaking French:
– The story is set in Paris, France.
– The use of French titles like “Monsieur” (M.) and “Madame” (Mme).
– French names like Loisel, Forestier, and Ramponneau.
– References to French currency (francs and sous).
– Mentions of French locations like the Palais-Royal and Champs-Elysees.
– The author, Guy de Maupassant, was French and wrote in French.
The story has been translated into English for readers, but the original language of the characters would have been French.
2. Q: Honesty is the best policy.
A: This statement is strongly supported by the story’s events:
– If Matilda had been honest with Mme Forestier about losing the necklace, she would have learned it was fake and avoided ten years of hardship.
– The Loisels’ deception about replacing the necklace led to unnecessary suffering.
– Honesty at any point during the ten years could have resolved the situation.
– When Matilda finally tells the truth at the end, she learns the devastating consequences of her dishonesty.
The story demonstrates that while honesty might be difficult in the moment, it often prevents much greater problems in the long run.
3. Q: We should be content with what life gives us.
A: The story indeed supports this idea:
– Matilda’s discontent with her middle-class life leads to her downfall.
– Her husband, who was content with simple pleasures, tried to make her happy.
– Matilda’s desire for luxury and status ultimately cost her ten years of even greater poverty.
– If she had been content with her life, she might have avoided the entire ordeal.
– The story suggests that happiness comes from within, not from external possessions or status.
However, it’s worth discussing whether total contentment is always good, or if some ambition for improvement is healthy. The key might be finding a balance between contentment and aspiration, and seeking improvement through honest means rather than pretense or deception.